Executive layoffs hit MTA

Municipal Transportation Authority chief Ed Reiskin has laid off a dozen executive-level staffers in a move he said was motivated by budget savings. He estimated the staff reduction will save the cash-strapped agency $2 million a year.

Asked if the layoffs should be seen as a desire to change the direction of the agency or simply as a budget-balancing measure, Reiskin said Tuesday: “This was primarily driven by the budget. We have a gap to close. We have a shortage of front-line resources.”

Resikin announced the layoffs in a “budget update” e-mailed to agency employees Friday. The agency is $30 million over its current budget and faces projected deficits of $53.2 million over the next two years.

“Managers in our agency play a vital role in planning and overseeing the resources that enable the MTA to function,” he said. “But as we need to reduce expenditures, I’ve decided to eliminate these positions so that we can preserve front-line service.”

Paul Rose, MTA spokesman, said no list of laid-off employees was available. But sources said they included Reggie Mason, director of safety, training, security and enforcement; Maggie Lynch, a customer relations manager and former spokeswoman; Joy Houlihan, deputy director of parking enforcement; Nancy Kirshner-Rodriguez, an external affairs manager and former transportation advisor for Mayor Gavin Newsom, and Beth Barner, grants program manager and former executive assistant to Nat Ford, the agency’s former chief executive officer.